¿¡ Air Layering Japanese Maple !?

MushaMan

I am a fairly new bonsai'er and i was thinking of trying some air layering to take a cutting off a Japanese Maple in my front yard. *My main concern is that I am unsure of when the "best" time to do this is. *I live in Seattle, WA and it seems the seasons change so slow here the plants get confused. *
It is the middle of march now, and I am getting antsy already. *Should i wait till spring or would it be fine to start now? *also, does anyone have any other suggestions on airlayering; especially pertaining to japanese maples in particular. *This will also be my first 'outdoor' air layering experiment, so i am previously inexperienced in dealing with the seasons. *
also, does black plastic work significantly better?? *For some reason i thought the light on the outside would prune the roots back naturally and help them create a stronger more diverse rootball? *am i crazy?
musha :

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TreeBay

I have only ever used clear plastic. _It helps to be able to know when to judge watering and remove the layer after the roots lignify and turn a bit brown.

Most of what I have read suggests waiting until the spring growth hardens before setting up the layer, but since you're using a garden tree, I think it might be worth trying an experiment and testing whether you get better success with early or late season layering.

Books are fine, but until you get a process dialed-in that works for you, it's hard to guarantee success.

there are some nice diagrams here:

photos & how to:
http://www.bonsaitree.com/bonsaiaid...les/abal_1.html

diagrams:
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/...r/airlayer.html

but the advice with regard to making a slit in the branch rather than ring girdling... take into consideration that the second article is talking about a basic plant propagation process, not getting a perfect radial root system, so I would go with the ring girdle. _And wait a while longer on separating the layer so you can be sure it will survive.

More info in bonsaiTALK Links under techniques-> propagation, and also the ***FAQ***

Regards,

Matt

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MushaMan

Thx for the quick reply Treebay Matt. Great help for a beginner like me. Every time i read another article on "air layering" i expect to read the same thing, unfortunately everyone has their own advice to confuse me.
Also, the ring girdle is the only method i've tried, the tongue and slit method just seems a little sloppy for me. however, i have read that using an extremely tight piece of wire around the top of the wound will help keep the wound from callusing over instead of rooting. Any experience with the wire constriction? Lastly, i was wondering what the largest diameter i should attempt to take, the spot i'm looking at is about 1 1/2 inces diameter. Will that be alright?
Musha

TreeBay

There is an examples of large (12-15&quot diameter cryptomeria air layered successfully, so I don't know that there is a practical limit, provided you leave enough tree below the layer to sustain the root system because it won't be being fed by the tree any longer

There are actually two methods for the wire. The faint-of-heart method is to apply a tourniquet around the trunk and just wait for it to grow into the wire

The other method is to ring bark the tree. Cut around the perimeter at two levels, usually a distance apart should be at least 1/2 and up to 1x the diameter of the branch. So about an inch should be ideal in your case. Cut down to wood and remove all the bark between. Then after cleaning up the wound edge with a knife and applying rooting hormone, (the upper edge - lower doesn't matter) optionally a couple of thick diameter wires can be laid right up against the edge of the wound and put on very tightly.

One article has photos of this Japanese guy setting it with a peen hammer all around the trunk. Really pounding it in.

Then there is the damp sphagnum and poly treatment and just be sure it doesn't dry out. It won't need a huge amount of water because the roots aren't there to drink it yet, and the layered branch's needs will be met largely by the translocation of water through the xylem of the wood within.

Layering is a nice way to make a twin trunk maple with trunks right at the base. Ideally they should have a U union and not a V shaped one. That gives the trunks room to grow without growing together.

Hope that hits the spot,

Regards,

Matt

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Jay

Air-Layering Follow-Up Question
When you cut through the bark..all the way to the hardwood, does this not disconnect 'the to be layered' from the roots? What is the difference between this and removing the piece completely and placing it in a spagnum moss filled pot?

I know there is a reason, just trying to understand it!

Jay

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TreeBay

Wood makes up the bulk of the mass of a mature tree. It is relatively inactive from a physiological standpoint, but it does serve to store water, as well as its chief function of providing a scaffolding support to the tree.

The wood of most trees is saturated with water. If you compare two extreme examples of balsa, an extremely light wood and oak, a very dense wood, you would find that when the trees are alive the weights of their wood are much more comparable because the wood is saturated with water.

With that background you can understand that a section of wood has the potential to conduct enough moisture to sustain the layered branch while it is developing its own roots.

Regards,

Matt

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Jay

Again...Thank you. It makes things so much nicer to know why things work. Or at least why you hope they will work!
Jay

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A Bonsai student living with his trees at N 44.37 W 77.49...
Think before you act... then think again... no good comes from rushing